Television apparatus



May 24, 1932. A GODEFRQY I 1,859,824

TELEVISION APPARATUS Filed April 6, 1951 a LU 4, F INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS.

Patented May 24, 1932 .umzrao (STATES EPATENT JDFFICE QALEXANDRE-F..GODEEROY, OF LOS *ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 1 .TELEVISION APPARATUS possible to transmit a satisfactory picture- 7 i over a single linewireyorwireless means.

' *Another r object of the invention is to pro- 1 duce anvimproved 'rotarycontact carrying elementwhich is combined 'withi'stationary contacts "in such a m'anner 1 as to accurately and satisfactorily transmit thevcolors and image outline: of objects which areb'eingiprodueed at the transmitting end of the apparatus. Y

'Asti'llfurther 'bbject otthewinvention is so to simplify: and reduce the cost of: apparatus ofithe ikind rtoewhiclr the invention "pertains rras to render'the"costithereofiwithin the reach ot the generalfpublic sUthat' the same "may be' operated conj uncti on with the telephone equipmenti of private residences as well' as in 251 1110113 public doications.

.Othen obj'ects; advantages and? features 0f i inventionvzmay" hereinafter appear.

. "Referring? to the accompanying drawings which illustrate what" is Tat? presentsdeemed W tion, a

Fig; 1 is aiperspe ctivediagrammaticwiew of the complete apparatus. 7

"Fig!- i 2 is a perspective detail' illustrating one of the solenoids and parts which cooperate therewith. i

s Fig. 3ris-'a"longitudina1 inid section of the casingwhichco-ntainstheparts'shown'inFig.

:3, a portion of sthe'construction within the easingaalsobeinwsectioned.

#Referringrin :detail to the drawings, the selenium composite :memberl is of a checkerboard .character'comprising an outer frameG which encloses A a composite translucent plate to:bmaopreferredembodiment.ofdzheinvnp p i selenium plate 51s'proV1ded. In :the upper portion o-fFig. 1 only a fcw of the Wires12are "shown,- but in practice there' will be one of a said wires; provided: to connect eacli' of the terminals 13 with-an area 7 of the =plate 5.

1931. Serial 'Nol 527,949.

rent is supplied to all the individual areas 7 of the plate 5 through frame 6 and the conductorsS andS).

Each'Of said areas 7 is, by means of a separate wire, connected with a terminal 1311 of the row 14 of terminals. -With said row i 14:- ofterminals cooperates the spiral rowsof terminals 16 and 16a which are placed'upon the cylinder 17, said cylinder being'supported upon a shaft 18 for rapid rotation'by mea-ns 11 of a motor 19. p

Ea'ch'of the terminals 16 is connected with a corresponding conducting. zone 25 of the cylinder 17, saidmones 25 being-insulated from each other'by strips of insulatingmaterialr26. Y Opposite to eachZOneQSBisIplaceda brush" contact member 27' which isfurni'shed with a branch wire 28'wl1ich leads to a line Wire 29. Said line'wire29 is'provided at the transmission tend of-the apparatus with arm series'of' branch' wires 30 which lead to'the contact brushes 31.

p In order -to contract the View of'ithei'apparatus shown in Fig. 1, the" contact-carrying 1 cylinders 17 and 17: have their central per-p.47

tions brokenaway; it'being understood that each-of these cylinders isof suflicient'lengfth to provide npon the same a numberbftconducting. zones as great as the "numberof individual transmitting areas 7 with'which the of them shown, while in the lower portion of the View the numbe'rof branch wires 30 and 12a shownissmall in comparison to 'lihQiDllIIlber requiredto operate the apparatus.

Each of the contact-brushes 31 is connected 1 with a zone25a which" corresponds to the-zone .25 first described, saidzones 25a being separated by insulating strips" 260- and: each of them being providedwith' a contact 16a. Y Said contacts 16a are arranged in a spiral row upon the cylinder 17a which is'rapidly 'rotated'by means of a shaft 'l8a driven byfthe motor 19a, the motors '19. and. 19a being synchronized by means of an alternating current to 'rotatethe cylinders 17 and 17 a in perfect unison with each other.

With the contacts 16a cooperate the series of stationary contacts 13a which in turn are individually provided with one of the wires 12a. Said wires 12a each of them lead to a solenoid 40, these solenoids being arranged in bank formation as shown. Each solenoid 40 is operatively related to a cylinder 41 which is made up of a series of more or less transparent color glass plates 42 which makes up the wall of said cylinder. Within said cylinder is placed a lamp 43 which will project lightin varying color and strength through the side of the cylinder 41 toward the observer according to the color of the plate 42 which is directed toward the screen 47.

Said cylinder 41 is provided with an operating crank 45 which is operatively connected with the arm 46 of the core of the solenoid 40. These rotatable cylinders 41 are located in bank formation as shown and thereby cooperate to reproduce at the receiving end of the apparatus, the outline and to a considerable extent color of the object being televisioned.

Said screen 47 is placed in proper relation to the cylinders 41 which are operated by the solenoids and when the apparatus is placed in operation, the image 48 of the object being televisioned will be thrown upon said screen, being thereby reproduced as to outline, and

also performing a reproduction of any movements which it may be executing.

The preferred construction of the individual receiving elements is shown in Figs. 2 and 3, wherein each composite glass cylinder is turnably mounted within a casing 410 and one end of said casing is provided with a projecting lens 41d which is positioned to receive the ray of light transmitted through the cylinder 41 by means of the lamp 43 therein.

Said cylinder 41 is shown provided with a radially operating arm 45 to which the'armature 46 of the solenoid 40 is connected by means of a link 40b. The lamp43 is supplied with current by means of the wires w and m. The wire :1; places said lamp in series with the solenoid thus causingsaid lamp 43 to-function only when the solenoid 40 is energized.

Returning to the sending end of the apparatus, in the upper portion of Fig. 1 is shown a human hand 50 which is selected as an example of an object to be televisioned to the receiving end ofthe line. Above said hand is I shown a sufficiently powerful X-ray or other lamp 51, which is positioned to cast a shadow of the hand upon the selenium plate 5. By means of said lamp the outline of the hanc is projected upon said plate. some of the squares '7 receiving a darker shadow than others, and the color of the hand, whether of a more or less red character, having an efi'ect uponthe density of the shadow cast upon the plate. The areas 7 of the plate 51 which receive heavy shadows will transmit the least electric current through the wires 12. The result will be that, when the cylinders 17 and 17a are synchronized and placed into rapid rotation, the impulses transmitted from the areas 7 of the sending end of the apparatus to the solenoids of the corresponding areas 7a of the receiving end of the apparatus will correspond, to produce at the receiving end of the apparatus a picture corresponding to the outline and color of the object being televisioned.

The result will be that the solenoids which are electrically connected with the darkest areas at the transmitting end of the apparatus will be operated the least distance and the solenoids which are connected with the more fully lighted areas at the transmitting end will be moved the farthest. Each solenoid when moved a short distance will bring one of the lighter colored strips of glass which make up the cylinder into register with the ray of light which is thrown upon the screen, and when the solenoid receives more current from a less shaded or less darkened area at the transmitting end, the armature of such solenoid will move farther and bring a lighter or less densely colored strip of the cylinder which it controls into alinement with the ray of light which isthrown upon the screen at that point.

In Fig. 3 is shown in detail the construc tion of one of the composite light transmitting cylinders 41 each of which is illuminated by one of the lamps 43. The portion of the side wall of this cylinder which the solenoid which is connected therewith is capable of moving across the light area, is divided into different colored plates or strips 42 of transparent material, the colors of which progressively increase in penetrability from the least penetrable color which is black to the most penetrable color which is white. The succession of these colors relative to penetrability is graphically indicated upon Fig. 3 and therefore need not be described in detail.

I claim:

1. In a television apparatus, a multiplicity of receiving elements'each of which comprises a solenoid having an armature which is operated variable distances according to the strength of the current supplied thereto, an internally illuminated cylinder, means to support said cylinder to rotate about its axis. and means to pivotally connect the armature of said solenoid with said cylinder in radially spaced relation to the axis of rotation of said cylinder, said cylinder having side walls surrounding its axis of rotation and consisting of differently colored glass areas, the intensity oi the colors of said areas increasing and dlminishing circumferentially of said cylinder.

2. In a televison apparatus comprising, at

the transmitting end, a composite selenium plate made up of individual insulated lighttransmitting areas, and at the receiving end a multiplicity of reproducing elements which are each individually connectable electrically with the individual areas ofsaid plate; a rapidly rotatable cylinder at each end of the apparatus; and means to rotate said cylinders rapidly and synchronously, and a single line wire connecting said cylinders, each of said cylinders being provided with contact making and breaking means whereby said light transmitting areas are successively and individually placed in circuit through said line wire with the corresponding individual reproducing elements at the receiving end of the line, each of said receiving elements comprising a solenoid having an armature which is operated variable distances according to the strength of the current supplied thereto,

and an internally illuminated cylinder turnable by said solenoid, said cylinder having side walls surrounding its axis of rotation and consisting of differently colored glass areas, the intensity of the colors of said areas increasing and diminishing circumferentially of said cylinder.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

ALEXANDRE F. GODEFROY. 

